Pipe-closure.



PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

;A. ANDREWS. PIPE CLOSURE. APPLIQAT ION RILED j'UfNE I907.

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AMOS ANDREWS, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

PIPE-CLOSURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Application filed June 8, 1907. Serial No. 377,863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMos ANDREWS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pipe-Clo sures, of which the following is a specification.

In water and gas-pipe mains, it is often necessary to plug the end of a main or pipe, a tee, or other union, as for repairs or until the line is to be extended into new territory. Considerable difliculty is often experienced in removing the plugs in such cases, and it sometimes happens that the bell of an expensive speoial casting is broken in the effort to break the plug for removal, thus leading to great expense, delay, and even to having to shut off the water or gas supply until a new plug can be inserted in a bell on another length of pipe, while a new special casting, tee, or the like is procured from the foundry.

The object of this invention is to provide a pipe-closure or pipe-closing plug which may be removed by unscrewing it, or, failing that, which may be broken with such ease and certainty that the danger of breaking the bell is reduced 'to the minimum.

The invention consists of features of construction and combinations of devices hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part thereof, in Which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the bell-end of a pipe, tee, or union, with a dug in place; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the p ug; and Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the same.

In the drawing, the reference A designates the bell, which may be of any known or suitable form, and B is a hollow plug, closed at one end as usual. According to this invention, one of the plug and bell elements is provided (cast) with a screw-thread for engagement with the usual lead ring C, and it is preferred to form these threads on the plug, as at D, the object being to screw the plug out when required. The joint is packed with oakum at E, after which the lead ring C is formed in the usual way by pouring in molten lead, and the outer edge of that ring is then calked as usual.

In order to provide for the contingency of the lead stripping, or turning around in the bell, in which event one may have to resort to the expedient of breaking the plug in order to get it out (at which time there is danger that the bell may be broken instead), the plug is formed or provided with a shallow longitudinal groove F whose wall is convex toward the center line of the plug, thus offering less resistance to blows on the outsidethan would a wholly circular plug. This groove F may run substantially the entire length of the plug, or it may extend from the outer end to the screw-threads D in the latter case, these threads may be broken or omitted along the plug in line with said groove, thus, with the groove, forming a gate for the pouring in of the molten lead. and its rapid distribution to all parts.

The reference G indicates a square boss or projection on the end of the plug for the use of a wrench in unscrewing the plug.

The plug, with the threads and the boss, may be, and preferably is, formed as one piece.

What is claimed is l. A hollow pi e-cloSing plug provided with a longitudineil groove the wall of which is convex on the inner side of the plug.

2. A hollow pipe-closing plug provided with an external screw-thread, a longitudinal groove the wall of which is convex on the inner side of said plug, and a head for receiving a wrench.

3. The combination with the bell of a pipe or tee, of a hollow closing plug provided with a longitudinal groove convex toward the axis of said plug and with a head for a wrench, and one of said bell and plug elements having screw-threads, a packing, and a soft metal ring cast between said bell and plug and engaging with said screw-threads.

Signed at Plainfield in the county of Union and State of New Jersey this 25th day of April A. D. 1907.

AMOS ANDREWS. Witnesses:

VINCENT W. NASH, Jr., W. ALLEN LITOHFIELD. Jr. 

